Air In Your Pump - Finding The Source

[@TheGreatConstantini]

Great video. I have been dealing with bubble issues for over a year. Everyone that I’ve worked with has told me it is only possible to get air in on the suction side. You are the first to address the pressure side could be a problem as well. Thanks

[@PoolSchooler]

Glad it was helpful

[@NM-lh6tf]

​@@PoolSchooler red rosese22²2²😢😅😢😮 1:56 😮 1:57 😅😅😅e a e33ss3😅😢 we😢efe😊3😮

[@beatadrabczynski9187]

Brilliant, I checked out several other videos, but only this one provided solution to my problem, turned out it was so simple and right at the very beginning. Most of other videos started off by recommending to check water level, and than went on to deeper problems. Only this video recommended checking first water level AND skimmer flopper - in my case one of them was stuck and system was sucking up air. So glad I watched this video, it was a simple solution, I was able to do it myself and saved me some $$$ on service call.

[@PoolSchooler]

I am delighted to hear that. Thanks for watching and for your comment. Hope you'll subscribe and "share".

[@cherylDouglas-Boldt]

Thank you your videos are always so helpful and easy to follow!

[@PoolSchooler]

Glad they were helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope you’ll subscribe to my channel and share it with everyone you know who owns a pool.

[@daultonruff2281]

Good education, thank you. I have a more complex problem it seems. I have air into my pump when I switch from skimmer to pool vacuum to make my Hayward sweep work. I also have diminished vacuum in general. I've replaced some hoses and ordered some more. Now I see a new water leak between the motor and pump which I will address tomorrow. I've rebuilt two sweeps now. I'm still without a diagnosis so will watch more videos. Thank you for posting this.

[@Bornchiller123]

Thanks for the video. For my system the root cause for air inside the pump was the pump itself. After going crazy not finding a leak anywhere i finally opened the pump and it turned out the wheel inside (the impeller) that actually moves the water was so damn dirty that there wasn't even much space anymore for water to float through at all. This ended in the pump constantly getting air inside even though everything was tightly sealed. After cleaning the pump from inside i got not a single air bubble in my system anymore and the pumping power increased by 250%. Works like new again and i just had to open 4 screws, take the plastic cover off from the pump and clean it.

[@PoolSchooler]

That's awesome. Hope you watched my video on clearing a clogged impeller. Also please check out my new membership website poolschooler.com for more money savings tools for your DIY pool maintenance needs.

[@evelynmahoney3569]

Good video, quality help w/o a bunch of B.S., sales or service pitch. Thanks for sharing your knowledge & experience. I have some stuff I gotta go check! 🤔👍

[@PoolSchooler]

Glad it’s helpful. Thanks for commenting. Hope you’ll subscribe to my channel and share it with others.

[@descendantoffools9767]

Whenever i went to a pool that had air in the pump, I'd turn the system on and tighten the screws on the jandy valve on the suction line and 90 percent of the time they would stop. shocking how often it was just a simple o-ring on the Jandy.

[@milesrudy870]

Dont know if you guys gives a shit but if you guys are stoned like me atm you can stream pretty much all of the new series on InstaFlixxer. Been binge watching with my gf recently xD

[@fernandochase2848]

@Miles Rudy yup, I've been using InstaFlixxer for months myself :D

[@dakdur1126]

I have an Intex sand filter pump and it seems to have lost prime, it takes in TONS of water during backwash, and it constantly leaks at the basket which is on the pump attachment site for hose, it takes on a little air while on filter but not as much

[@PoolSchooler]

I am not a fan of the intex sand filters. They are notorious for leaking. I'm guessing it's an above ground pool. I'd highly recommend getting an after market above ground pump/cartridge filter combination by either Hayward or Pentair.

[@robertlilley4370]

HI, Thanks for your videos they are very helpful. But I saw this video and I have a question. I saw you open the Pump lid and turn it off and on. I am new to having a pool and I have a couple friends that have had a pool for years but they tell me when I open that up I need to use a bucket and fill the pump with water before I turn it on again? What do you think?

[@PoolSchooler]

Back in the early 80s and prior to that the pumps typically did need to be primed with water. But most of the pumps nowadays are “self priming“ so unless the pump has sat open for an extended period of time you typically should not need to add water to the pump or prime it. Hope you’ll subscribe to my channel and share it with others and I hope you’ll check out my website poolschooler.com.

[@JacobLevy-e2i]

Hey, can you do a video of acid wash by the way love your videos

[@PoolSchooler]

@@JacobLevy-e2i to be honest with you I actually stopped doing acid washes a while ago. I farmed them out to a couple other pool repair companies that specialize in doing acid washes and resurfacing. About the best I could do would be to do a how to video where I talk people through it, but to be quite honest with you again that is something I would definitely leave to a pro. Because you have to drain the pool, making sure that the outside air temperature is not too hot so you don’t risk damaging the surface of your pool. And then mixing the right acid and water combination making sure you don’t get it on the tile cause that can cause the die on the tile to bleed onto your Plaster which will make a mess and is next to impossible to get off of your Plaster and then you have to refill your pool and add your start up chemicals so it’s a little bit involved and it’s worth hiring somebody to do that. The key is making sure that they include startup chemicals in the process. Oh, one more thing you also have to determine if your Plaster is not too old because if it is, it’s very possible that acid washing can irreparably damage the plaster.

[@wastedcentury1805]

How do you tell if the O ring is supposed to go on the groove or on the lid? They are not the same size. I recently had major pool work done and the boss bragged that they changed the O rings at no extra cost. That's great but now I have considerably less water in the reservoir, massive amount of bubbles in the returns, and sometimes the pump loses prime during the lower speed session of the motor. The replacement O ring is on the inside of the lid. I'm thinking it should be a larger O ring on the groove itself. This is an older pump called Sta-rite MPFA6E-146L

[@PoolSchooler]

Wow, sorry to hear that. On the Spa Rite models the o'ring usually (in my experience) stays on the lid. That said, it should seat into the pump groove. Two possibilities: 1. The o'ring is not the right one for that pump (you'd have to take it into a pool supply store, tell them the model of your pump and see what they say. If it is the right size then 2. you may want to try lubing the o'ring WELL with something like Magic Lube magic lube or or something like that to help it seal. The other possibility is you may have a cracked pump lid.See if any of this advice helps if not let me know.

[@tiredfingers99]

Im building my own pool plumbing setup and putting in a lot of 2" unions so its easy to remove parts of the system, but can this lead to leaks or a lot of air in the system? I find when I glue in the unions they should be hand tight for good alignment. How could I know if theres a suction air leak from a union?

[@PoolSchooler]

As long as the unions are sealed you shouldn't get any air.

[@r.porter6632]

HEY I NEED HELP! Ive blown out the skimmer and the pump with the bladder drain thing, bought and O ring, hired the pool guy to help trouble shoot and I cant get the skimmer to suction and air bubbles comes out from the returns and pool wont stay primed, Help whats wrong

[@ceciliaescobar7901]

hello, my pool primes water every morning when it turns on. It is my understanding that this should not be the case. I followed your video to see if any leak and can't find anything. any other suggestion where I can look for a leak? also I have noticed a rattling sound coming from the prime basket when the water goes thru. We have also check the pump for clogs. thanks

[@PoolSchooler]

Is your pool needs to re-prime itself every morning after being off during the night time indeed there is something allowing air to get into the system which should not be happening. If you checked the pump basket to make sure it’s seated correctly, and made sure that the O-ring for the pump lid is lubricated and in good condition and in its proper seated place, and making sure your lid seals correctly and is not cracked in anyway… I would suggest checking your filter and the connections of the pipes leading into and out of the filter to make sure no air is getting in there or in the pressure relief valve or anywhere around the filter. If you still don’t find a leak, there is a possibility you may have some type of leak in the plumbing above ground or even underground. In that case I would suggest contacting a professional to come out and check your entire system for any leaks in the plumbing itself.

[@ceciliaescobar7901]

thank you, I did notice that every time the pool shuts off, a small amount of water will burst out thru the pump lid. is this normal? the lid is not broken and the ring is new.

[@PoolSchooler]

@@ceciliaescobar7901 That's called cavitation and it's caused by back pressure. But the fact that water squirts out of the lid when it happens is an indicator that your air leak is there. I'd try replacing the lid o'ring and making sure you lubricate it well with a good silicon or teflon lube. (not a spray). If it still gets air in the system and you're sure the pump lid is in good shape then it may be that your pump itself (the housing that is) is slightly warped and the lid and o ring just won't seal properly. although that's rare and usually only happens if you've ever over heated your pump by running it while it was dry.

[@Jmutis181]

Thank you for being so helpful . Jose

[@charyldealva5826]

Have and Hayward Ecostart 3400 vsp. The drive went out. Drive was replaced after this repair, the pump has no filter pressure and the skim basket doesn't fill to top. It comes just over the water inlet. What is the problem. Poll water is good, have a weir door, had all the plumbing redone, replaced jandy valve and lid on pump.

[@aztonyusa]

Nice video. I'm getting air bubbles in the pump basket. The basket doesn't fill to the top with water. It fills a couple of inches from the top. I don't see any leaks. I checked the basket lid and o-ring, both look good. I was told to check the drain plugs on the pump since the o-rings on those can cause air bubbles. I didn't know where they were but I found the online manual for the Haywood pump. Do you think the drain plugs o-rings can cause air to get into the pump?

[@PoolSchooler]

Its definitely a possibility. But usually its the pump lid, o'ring or combination of the two. Try lubing the pump lid o'ring with some really goopy lube like magiclube and see if that makes a difference. If all of this doesn't work, then you very well may have a leak somewhere in your suction lines. It could be a union, or a valve. Your valves have o'rings as well.

[@aztonyusa]

@@PoolSchooler I did take out the lid o-ring, made sure there were no cracks or breaks, cleaned it, lubed it with a silicone lube (not magiclube). I only put a light application on, so not real goopy as you suggest, it didn't help. Do you think I have to use more to have it be effective? I'll have to check the unions and valves probably with soapy water spray or the hose. I know I have an issue with the SWG not fitting as snugly as it should. Seems to me one connecting pipe might be a wee bit shorter than it should be when screwing on the SWG.

[@PoolSchooler]

Anthony L hmm. I’m not sure what’s causing your air bubbles then. Maybe clean the channel the o ring seats into under the lid and really look at the pump lid for any even micro cracks.

[@aztonyusa]

@@PoolSchooler I found out the problem. The impaler was clogged with debris. Cleaned it out and pump is running great.

[@yangli4774]

@@aztonyusa It seems my pool pump has similar issue as yours - waster doesn't fill to the top in the pump basket. May I know what impaler is? or did you mean impeller of the pump?

[@tsolo8888]

Thanks for a good video. I've got a suction side air leak that is big enough to stop my pump from fully priming (several inches of air in the top of the basket). I feel like I've gone through your list of possible culprits at least twice, and still can't find it. Is it possible for a suction leak to be underground? (at least 2 or 3 feet down in dense black clay of Texas)?

[@PoolSchooler]

It’s definitely possible to have an air leak underground. But it’s more likely somewhere above ground. I wish I could give you more to work with. Sometimes the leak could be in your Jandy valve on the suction side of your pool that splits the suction between the skimmer and the vacuum. But based on the fact that you said The pump has several inches of air when it’s running leads me to believe that the air is coming from somewhere at the pump when that happens to me it’s usually the pump lid or the O-ring or even the possibility that the basket is not seated as it should be. But other than that I’m not really sure what else to offer. You might wanna check your Jandy valve on the suction side to see if there’s any leak in that.

[@SolRayz]

I thought I had a major air leak causing cyclical cavitation in the pump yesterday after replumbing my pump outlet. Ended up replacing the seals on all my jandy valves and reseating and re-tightening my hayward cartridge housing three times and problem remained. Turned out my wier door to one of the skimmers was jammed shut causing the water to go down and suck air in. So effing annoying. What a waste of time.

[@PoolSchooler]

Yeah, that can be really frustrating. So often it ends up being something simple like that. To avoid such wastes of time and money I try to go through a progression of "possible" causes starting with the simplest (and usually cheapest) and then work my way down the list.

[@elmerkreisel396]

Well done. Thanks

[@PoolSchooler]

You're welcome. Thank you. and please do subscribe.

[@SoloGuitar1000]

Leaks on the return side are not going to cause air in your pump. They'll just leak water. "Leaks" on the suction side will suck air. Spray those suspected suction side leaks with bubbly soapy water and look for bubbles being drawn in.

[@PoolSchooler]

SoloGuitar1000 I disagree. I’ve had pools that have had leaks in the return side and although it is correct that they will just leak water while the pump is running once the equipment shuts off as the pressure equalizes air can in fact enter from a leak on the return side. Due to the back pressure.

[@SoloGuitar1000]

@@PoolSchooler Well, it would have to be right at the pump because the back pressure is not going to be able to pull water and air from a distance, like from that water valve several yards away. I think pressure that strong would collapse the pipe! Any air that did get sucked in at a distance would, in my opinion, probably remain in the pressure side until the pump starts up again and would then be pushed out the returns.

[@kennyfernandes7949]

Hey Kenny, I told you about my air leak a couple of weeks ago and you said it could be that when it was replastered that they could have got some plaster in the inlet pipe for the pool cleaner. Well they just came out yesterday and when they put the new fitting in during replastering, it didn’t get pushed in far enough to the existing pipe. So they put in some epoxy in to feel the gap. The guy said it was about an 1/8 inch gap. So when I put the cleaner back in this morning, all is well again. Does that make sense to you? Just thought I’d give you the update, thanks for your help.

[@PoolSchooler]

It does, but it makes me question the skill level and expertise of the person/company that did the work in the first place.. They shouldn't have missed that, (in my opinion).

[@kennyfernandes7949]

@@PoolSchooler I agree.

[@justint7763]

Air bubbles in the built in leaf catcher. Very same set up as the second house you showed. I've tried a new o-ring and a new lid and even a new locking ring. The amount of air is small, but persistent. It seems like the locking ring isn't tightening enough, but too tight and there is way more air. Also, if I apply pressure from the top, the bubbles go away. Do you have any advise or clues as to how to get the seal secure? Also, the leaf catcher canister has a flat rim with tabs for the locking ring and it has to be positioned just so to keep the bubbles to a minimum. I've had this pool system almost 20 years and replaced the lid once, the o ring a few times, but never had this not want to seal tightly. Help!!

[@PoolSchooler]

I've had that problem before as well and nothing I did helped. As long as the air is not getting into the pump AND the leaf catcher is doing it's job it's ok.

[@PoolSchooler]

check out poolschooler.com for more money saving tools.

[@shanettahilt8720]

Great video!!

[@PoolSchooler]

Shanetta Hilt thank you.

[@erickrhernandez1451]

What tool did you use to open up that particular lid?

[@PoolSchooler]

The one I use is made by zodiac it is called a multi use Union wrench

[@AB-yx6wu]

I noticed my pump didn’t have water in it this evening.. I tried to take lid off basket like you did and couldn’t.. I ended up releasing pressure from filter and was able to remove lid but when I did water came up with it and didn’t drain down as in your video. Off valve was between the skimmer and main drain .What am I doing wrong I still don’t have water in pump..

[@PoolSchooler]

First of all it sounds you you're tightening your pump lid down WAY to hard. Nice and snug, but not "torqued on". Make sure your return valves are fully open as well.. It could also be you need your filter cleaned. You may want to watch this video on why water floods out of the pump when you open the lid. Here's a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXSYeH2FlK1sp5I

[@Jrbrass]

Love your videos, I've learned a lot from them. Question: I know you have a pool service, but do you do repairs? I have air in my system, cannot seem to find where it's coming from. I find when I turn the diverter Jandy valve more where the pool vacuum sucks more, that's when I get a lot of air coming in. I have brand new hoses and my navigator is under water. I live in Scottsdale, I was wondering if you do service as well as far as finding leaks. Thank you!

[@PoolSchooler]

I do do minor repairs, but you’re a bit out of my area. What you’re describing sounds like it’s possible that you have some sort of obstruction in your dedicated vacuum line or you might have a leaking it underground, however if it’s underground you would probably see your water level dropping a little faster than typical.

[@PoolSchooler]

Soooo many times when you put more suction to the vacuum your air leaks show up from elsewhere. So the first thing I would do is check your pump lid and O-ring and then I would start looking at The suction side joints and bones to make sure there is no leakage there. As I said typically an underground leak is going to show up in excessive water usage. Also you might have a combination of some kind of leak in your pump lid or O-ring or Jandy valve on the suction side or the pipes on the suction side that are above ground and an obstruction in your dedicated suction line to your vacuum you might have to have somebody come out and either blow out the line or snake it out I’ve also experienced debris jamming up the Jandy valve to where I’ve had to open up the valve and remove the debris. You might wanna check that out.

[@Jrbrass]

@@PoolSchooler What area are in you In, I'm in South Scottsdale (Miller Rd and McKellips). I would be willing to pay you a trip charge if you're just outside my part of area. At this point, just tired of dealing with it. Again, thanks for your videos.

[@PoolSchooler]

@@Jrbrass Unfortunately that is still too far out of my routes. I usually don’t go North of the 60.

[@Jrbrass]

@@PoolSchooler Thanks for replying. Do you know of a great pool guy or a company out my way? Kinda reluctant to call Corsons. They just have young kids, probably with little experience in finding air leaks.

[@izmirfication]

Sand filter and return lines are after the pool pump, so no air suction will be caused by them, why you still inspecting that part

[@PoolSchooler]

Because after the equipment shuts off there can be some back pressure (in rare cases) and if there is a leak in the return side air can get in that way. But typically the air will come in from the suction side of the equipment.

[@A59APACHE]

Thanks. Very helpful.. :)

[@jessechohan5702]

Are you in Phoenix? I need help fixing my gas water heater for the pool and spa. Maybe it can be an episode?

[@PoolSchooler]

Jesse Chohan oh wow. Gas water heaters are out of my league. Email me and I will be happy to send you contact information for a guy in Phoenix who is exceptional and does great work with major equipment repairs such as heaters.

[@PoolSchooler]

My email is [e-mail]

[@ademarcardenas692]

I cleaned out the filter on my primer and it won't fill back up with water or work

[@PoolSchooler]

Ademar Cardenas I think you’re saying you cleaned out your pump basket and now you can’t get it to prime. Three suggestions. First: make sure the pump basket is properly seated inside the pump (many only fit in one way). Second: make sure the O’Ring on the pump lid/cover is seated properly, lubricated, not dry or cracked. And that the lid is on correctly and snugly (NOT too tight!). Third: if the first two things are done. Fill the pump with water, secure lid (remember the O’Ring) and turn the motor on. It should prime after several seconds (probably shouldn’t take longer than a minute for the water to start flowing in).

[@rickgiles8426]

Holy smokes... I just had to get a 1 1/2" threaded PVC plug out of the line right where the union is for the pump. I'm guessing the previous home owner or whomever closed the pool for winter tried to use it in the skimmer and dropped it and thought it would come out in the pump strainer. It almost did.

[@thedoughouse8402]

I still didn't find my leak guess I have to call the Pool guy

[@LubaLuba1]

SKIMMER ADAPTER CONE

[@PoolSchooler]

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